mom’s request was to have me photograph them in their home… “document us as we live”. she had a fabulous list she had made of things they do together, a few things included — playing games, swimming, sitting around the table, praying, etc. so we just hung out in their house for a few hours – and their sweet joy was a tad bit contagious.
this is our life, our days.
beaches, pools, sun, & fog. home-sweet-home.
visitors, yay for visitors! we love our visitors. even more when they are related.
opening day – “cool as ever”
a summertime classic, the lemonade stand.
and our sweet baby boy – now eleven months. a ‘peek-a-boo’ master.
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about a year and a half ago i felt convicted, motivated, and encouraged to simplify. to simplify my things, my time, my space. let’s just say, it is a process. and it’s really not in my nature. but somehow it is i guess. simplicity is what i see as beautiful. simplicity is what i crave. simplicity makes me feel peaceful. late at night when i feel overwhelmed by the demands of this photography business that has exploded, i want to take it all down and quit. to go to the extreme of simplifying. i think of that all the time. but then, i realize what joy it brings me too. to be a mom and also be a creative business owner. it makes me feel empowered & quite lucky. so for months i’ve been thinking how to mix a work that i love in my photography, with a simple life that i crave. how to blend being a working mom, and also pretend to be a stay at home mom. and i think i’m on the cusp of seeing how it possibly can exist. 
an email last night from a client that became my friend was so encouraging. “don’t get discouraged, you can make your business just the way YOU want it… keep it simple just like you. it’s easy to feel like you have to please everyone but you don’t! you are so amazing at what you do, let God take control and just focus on breathing in and out.”
so i’m focusing on these little guys most of all in my days. i may not get to my emails at all in a day – because we were out riding skateboards, or going to the pool. it’s going to take me longer to finish a to-do list, because we walked to the beach. and the biggest change is this… i’m not taking any new clients until spring 2014. i already have an almost full schedule from now, through the holiday season – and that is amazing and mind-blowing. 
i am amazed and grateful every day that so many amazing families have welcomed me in to know their families and photograph memories for them. and i am so excited for the spring to photograph more amazing & new families. but for now, we are keeping things as is for a few more months. not adding much more – for just a little while.
so a thank you to the blog world, for your encouraging words & support as i photograph my little ones, my life, and the beautiful people that hire me. this blog is one of my favorite creative outlets – and i am so grateful for a place to throw my vision and ideas. i hope to blog more, because it really is so wonderful to participate in capturing life in “ten on ten“, and try to photograph my boys weekly, in “the 52 project“.
but most of all, i’ll try to keep it simple. as a process – not necessarily an arrived state.
blessings,
stacy
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we sat sipping coffee. talking about who she is. and how to reflect it in an authentic way.
about who they are together, to each other.
and the vision for the shoot started to unfold. beauty in the unexpected places. authenticity. innocence & simplicity with an edge & rawness. and as sarah said with a beautiful smile, “a little dark & twisted.” and as we uncovered, a feminine softness making what seems to not belong together – a perfect sweetness.
and we moved along letting it unfold without too many words or being over-thought. and i love what was uncovered & displayed.
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when whitney approached me about a photoshoot of the jewelry line she has with her sister, hailey, of hand-crafted jewelry – i jumped at the vision & idea… without even seeing the line, but just knowing i’d love it. then i saw it and we ran with it for a beautiful, natural vision for the shoot.
their line, whitley designs, is sold in over 200 stores, internationally. the pieces have been featured in US Weekly, Elle, Lucky, Star Magazine, OK Magazine, Teen Vogue, LA Fashion Weekly, and People Style Watch. and now – the bostrom blog. heehee. These sisters are a dream with whom to dream and be creative! A little name dropping of celebrities that wear their pieces (i can’t resist, i’m so proud of them!):: Vanessa Hudgens, Audrina Partiridge, Ali Fedotowsky, Maria Menounos, Kendall Jenner, Bella Thorne, Kathy Griffen, & Trisha Yearwood. this shoot was so fun, and such a local-proud moment for us:: local designers, local photographer (obviously), local girls modeling, and all the beautiful clothes and shoes were styled and loaned to the shoot by Stephanie – the sweet owner of Cedros Soles (if you are a local, you know this shop – and if you don’t… you need to. quickly.)
all a beautiful collaborative effort. but i think the birds really stepped it up and performed amazingly at the shoot.
and the two lovely sisters behind it all.
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a portrait of my beautiful boys, once a week, every week, in 2013.1 comment
with a crawling baby and a energetic 5 year old boy — i rarely finish a conversation, thought, project, or idea… (i’m a little behind on email, text, phone calls – my apologies) but when i have a second i can’t wait to sit down and blog and post several shoots i have been up to recently… stay tuned.
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i proudly say i have been a loyal ten-on-ten-er since the beginning. faithfully capturing moments of a day, every tenth day of the month (collections here)… and on july 10th, we started the day capturing these grapes growing over a fence while we were out doing errands… but then – the day took a turn for the worst and only a handful more made it…
as i was putting the baby to sleep, i snapped a picture with my phone – realizing i missed the whole day pretty much. but i still am swooning over kauai pictures, and several client collections that are coming together. so… ten on ten was a bust. here’s to next month, right?
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oh i am quite taken now with kauai. it’s beauty, slow pace, adventurous whispers, & soothing rains. it is just unreal.
special time spent enjoying the island and family. so i figured i’d take a few photographs… well, maybe i got carried away since this is just a percentage of what i have. oh dear… i just can’t help it.
and of course, music on this ol blog is switched over to hawaiian… of course.
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Especially love the one of the boys on the sand.in photography, i don’t think you ever “arrive”. there is always so much to learn and keep challenging yourself. lately i am taken with the challenge and vision of sweeping photographs. in nature of course… although – to be honest, my biggest challenge of all is trying to photograph while always having a little bundle of baby sitting on my hip, at my toes, or at least out of the corner of my eye.
we are home from a glorious vacation in kauai. my cell phone sat pretty quiet – but the big camera was working hard to capture just a sliver of the beauty. working through hundreds of photos to pick out highlights to post here very soon.
xo
stacy
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